Tabulating machine



July 11, 1939. w s I I 2,165,288

7 TABULATING MACHINE Filed Nov. 14, 1935 I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG-.1.

[I], INVENTOR" BY I ATTORNEY Jul 11, 1939.

' Filed NOV. 14, 1935 A. w. MILLS TABULATING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY July 11 ;1939,

A. w, MILLS TABULATING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 iiiil llllliiii a Filed NOV. 14, 1935 ATTORNEY Patented July 11, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ternational Business Machines Corporation,

New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 14, 1935, Serial No. 49,687

8Cllims.

This invention relates to tabulating machines and more particularly to the accumulating mechanism of such machines.

The invention relates more particularly to the g simplification of accumulating mechanisms in which the several denominational orders are separate and independent units which may be separately placed in the machine for separate operation. These units are generally built on 10 plates arranged for slidable insertion and it is customary to place two denominational orders on a plate. Machines of this type are shown in Patents Nos. 1,909,549 and 1,914,285, granted May 16', 1933 and June 13, 1933 respectively, to

II J. R. Peirce.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a greatly simplified accumulator unit construction to the end that greater operating speed may be attained.

go A further object is to provide an improved clutching mechanism for such type of unit.

A still further object is to provide improved locking devices for insuring the positive positioning of the driven elements throughout the u operation of the machine.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be obvious from the following particular description of one form of mechanism embodying the invention or from an inspection 30 of the accompanying drawings; and the invention also constitutes certain new and useful features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings:

35 Fig. 1 is a cross section of a tabulating machine showing the location of the improved accumulating unit. v

Fig. 2 is a view of one of the unit plates carrying two orders of an accumulator.

a Fig. 3 is a detail in section of the improved clutching device.

Fig. 4 is an outside view of the parts shown in Fig. 3. p

Fig. 5 is a detail position view of the clutch- 5 ing mechanism with the actuating magnet tripped.

Fig. 6 is a detail taken on line .6-6 of Fig. 3.

The type of tabulating machine to which the invention is applied is shown generally in Fig. 1

'50 and may be similar to the machine shown in my copending application, Ser. No. 634,454, filed Septembr 23, 1932, and the simplified and improved accumulating unit of the present invention may be readily substituted for that disclosed in said 5; application.

(Cl. lea-1 4s) Referring to Fig. 1, the main drive shaft I3 is suitably driven from a motor (not shown) and through gearing designated ll drives shaft l2 which has bevel-gear connection with a vertical shaft l3. This shaft in turn has bevel-gear con- 5 nection with horizontal shafts l4 which make one revolution per cycle of the machine. A clutch mechanism, generally designated l5, controlled by a clutch magnet l6 causes connection of shaft I! to the main shaft Ill through the 10 gearing designated l3. This shaft carries the cams which operate the printing section of the t abulator. in which type bars ID are reciprocated past a platen 26 and may be interrupted at differential times during an upward movement by stop pawls 2| tripped under the control of trip magnets 22. After all the type bars have been positioned, printing hammers 23 are tripped to take an impression.

- The shafts l4 carry gears 24 which are in constant rotation. Meshing with each gear 24 is a gear 25 (see Fig. 2) which is freely mounted on a stud 26 secured in plate 21. The plate 21 carries two gears 25 to provide for two denominational orders of an accumulating unit. As shown 25 in Fig. 1, the plate 21 is horizontally slidable, with its gears 25, away from the gear 24 and in this manner the plate 21 with the mechanism 1 mounted thereon may be removed from the machine for repair or replacement. 30

As viewed in Fig. 3, the gear 25 has secured thereto, by means of riveted pins 28, a disk 25 (see Fig. 6). The disk has extensions 30 which extend into openings 3i in a ratchet 32. The ratchet 32 is freely mounted on the hub 33 of 35 the disk 29 and is normally held against the disk, as shown in Fig. 3, by a multi-blade leaf spring 34. Adjacent to ratchet 32 is the accumulating wheel 35 which is provided with ratchet teeth 36 and detenting teeth 31. The accumulating wheel. in 35 is freely rotatable on the stud 26 and is driven by the ratchet 32 when the latter is rocked into engagement with the teeth 36 as shown in Fig. 4. This rocking is effected by means of a bevelled disk 38 which, when shifted from the position in Fig. 3 to that of Fig. 4, cams the adjoining edge of the ratchet 32 into engagement with teeth 36, in this manner driving the latter. The accumulating wheel 35 is normally locked by detenting arm 39 whose free end rests between two adjacent teeth 31 and affords a positive restraint against movement of the wheel in either direction. The arm 39 is pivoted on stud 40 and has pin and slot connection 4| with the supporting arm 42 of the bevelled disk 38. A spring 43 connected between the arms serves to hold arm 39 in engagement with wheel 35.

Upon counterclockwise rocking of the arm 42, the bevelled disk 38 will cause engagement of the ratchet 32 with the teeth 35 and at the same time the pin and slot connection 4| will cause withdrawal of the 'arm 39 from between teeth 31. The proportioning of the parts is such that the engagement of the ratchets is eifected before the arm 39 is fully disengaged to insure that the.

wheel 35 is controlled by either one or the other. With the clutch engaged, the parts assume the position shown in Fig. 5 where the arm 42 rests against a fixed member 44. The parts will remain in this position to drive the accumulating wheel until the arm 42 is again rocked clockwise to its original position. This may be effected by a cam 45 (see Fig. 2) which is integral with the driving gear 25. The cam engages an extension 46 of the arm 42 and causes positive rocking of the latter. During such rocking, the arm 39 is brought into engagement with the teeth 31 pventing further rotation thereof.

Referring now to Fig. 4, the teeth 35 and the cooperating teeth of the ratchet 32 have their driving edges. slightly inclined to a line parallel to the axes of the ratchets so that with disk 38 withdrawn from clutching position and wheel 35 locked against rotation, the further driving movement of the ratchet 32 will cause the ratchet to be cammed outof engagement with the teeth 31 and held 3 out of engagement by the leaf spring 34.

The initial rocking of the arm 42 is controlled by a pair of magnets 41, which, upon energization, attract their armature 48 to release a lateral extension of arm 42, whereupon spring 49 will rock the arm 42 in a counterclockwise direction.

'A second pair of magnets 50 is provided which acts on its armature 5| to release lever 52 pivoted at 53. The lever 52 carries a pin 54 which, when the lever is released will be drawn downwardly by spring 49 to engage and rock the arm 42 clockwise. It will thus be seen that the accumulating wheel 35 may be clutched to the driving ratchet 32 when the magnet 41 is energized and declutching will take place upon the energization of magnet 50 or under the mechanical action of the cam 45.

The wheel 35 carries a disk 55' (see Fig. 2) which controls the positioning of the usual carry contact mechanism. The disk 55 is provided with a notch 56 and a high portion 51 which cooperate with a finger 58 of a member 59 which is pivoted at 60. The arrangement is such that while the accumulating wheel registers 9, finger 58 will be in engagement with the notch 55 and through the insulating bar 5!, the lever 52 carrying brush 53 will be permitted to rock under control of its spring 64 so that the brush 53 makes contact with a contact 'member 65. When the wheel passes from "9 to 0, the finger 58 will be engaged by extension 51 and rocked clockwise to a position in which it is held by a spring-pressed latch 86. In this position the bar 6i will have rocked the arm 62 so that brush 63 makes contact with the upper contact member 61. This a position of the brush 63 is maintained until the roller 68 carried by the gear 25 (see Figs. 3 and 4) causes unlatching. A cam 10 (Fig. 2) is prolever 52, rocking it clockwise about its. pivot 53,

whereupon armature 5| of magnet 50 will latch the lever in position by engagement with the g the accumulating wheel.

right hand end of the lever. Cam "makes one revolution per card cycle and the camming portion 10a is located to effect relatching of lever 52 toward the end of the cycle.

The construction and operation of the accumulating unit has been described in detail and a brief explanation will now be given to indicate the manner in which the parts are timed in relation to the rest of the machine.

As the usual record cards bearing diflerentially located index point positions pass the analyzing brushes, circuits are completed to the magnet 41 in response to the analysis of a perforation in an index point position of the record card. If a 9 is to be added, the circuit to the magnet 41 is completed at the 9 time and wheel 35 is rotated through nine steps at which time the cam 45 will cause disengagement of the clutch. If the magnet 41 had been energized in response to a 3, the clutch engagement would have taken place at the "3 time and have been disengaged by the cam 45 after three steps of movement. It is thus seen that the time of engagement is variable and the knock out or disengaging time occurs at a fixed point in the cycle. In the interval between the two camming surfaces of cam. 45, carry operations take place under control of the contacts 63, 65, 61 to add a unit into appropriate orders. The time of completion of this carry circuit is one point before the second camming surface effects clutch disengagement.

When the unit is employed for subtracting operations, the magnet 41 is energized at the beginning of the cycle through timing devices in the machine so that the wheel 35 commences rotation at the beginning of a cycle. When a perforation is sensed in the record card, the magnet 50 is energized to cause disengagement. Thus if a "3" is sensed, disengagement will take place after six'steps of movement, thus adding the nines complement to the accumulating wheel.

For total printing purposes, the wheel 35 is given a half revolution by energizing magnet 41 at the beginning of the cycle and permitting the cam 45 to knock it out at the end of the cycle. Depending upon the initial location of disk 35, finger 58 will be rocked clockwise by extension 51 to close contacts 63, 61 at some time during the cycle, and a circuit to the printing magnets 22 of Fig. 1 will be completed at a time corresponding to the value of the amount standing on A branch of the same circuit will energize magnet 50 to declutch the accumulator wheel at zero thus effecting resetting. The various circuits and their operating devices do not form part of the present invention and may be the same as those shown and described in my copending application referred to above, and further explanation thereof is not necessary.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without de partingfrom the spirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is as follows: Y

1. In an accumulating unit for an accounting machine having an accumulating wheel which is to be advanced to any of a plurality of rotative positions to represent diiferent amounts,

including in combination, a constantly rotating driving element having teeth thereon, a plurality of teeth carried by said accumulating wheel against rotation in any direction, means called into action at difl'eren tial times and with the' wheel in any of the rotative positions for removing said locking means and concurrently effecting engagement between the teeth of the driving element and the teeth of the wheel, said means being arranged to lock the teeth in engagement and means operative at a fixed time in the operation of the machine for causing unlocking of said engaged teeth and reenabling the-locking means for the wheel whereupon the continued rotation of the driving element will cause its teeth to be cammed out of engagement with the teeth of the wheel, leaving the wheel locked in a position advanced from its initial position by an amount determined by the differential time of engagement of said teeth.

2. In an accumulating unit for a tabulating machine, a constantly rotating driving member mounted for rocking upon its axis and having teeth on one face thereof, an accumulator wheel co-axial with said member and having teeth on one face thereof, facing the teeth on the member, resilient means between said member and wheel normally holding said member and wheel with their respective teeth in parallel, spaced planes, and means for rocking said member against said resilient means into a plane disposed at an angle to the plane of said wheel so that the teeth of the member engage the teeth of the wheel at the line of intersection of the planes of the member and wheel, said rocking means causing the member and wheel to be locked in engagement.

3. The invention set forth in claim 2 in which the rocking means comprises a beveled disk whose bevel cams said member into its rocked position and whose face looks the member in rocked position in engagement with the wheel and against the action of said resilient means.

4. In an accumulating unit for a tabulating machine, an accumulator wheel having teeth about its periphery and a ring of teeth extending from one face thereof, means normally engaging said peripheral teeth to hold the wheel rotating driving member having a ring of face teeth engageable with the face teeth of said wheel, said member being co-axial with the wheel, means including a camming element for moving the teeth of said driving member into engagement with the teeth of the wheel and locking the same together and means connected to said camming element for moving said holding means out of engagement with the peripheral teeth of the accumulator wheel.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a driving member and a co-axial driven member each having a ring of teeth facing one another.

means including. a spring structure normally holding said members apart with their rings of teeth in parallel planes and means for changing the angle between said rings of teeth to eifect engagement at the point of intersection created by the change in angle, said last named means causing the members to be locked in'engagement.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, a

constantly rotating driving element having teeth, 7

a driven element having teeth, an operating member, means for causing said member to move teeth of one of said elements into engagement with teeth of the other and positively lock the elements in engagement, means for positively interrupting the movement of said driven element and for causing said member to unlock said elements, the coaction between the teeth of the driving and driven elements being effective upon interruption of the movement of the driven element for causing positive disengagement of said elements.

7. 'I'he invention set forth in claim 6 in which said interrupting means is constructed to engage said driven element to prevent movement thereof in any direction upon said interrupting operation.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, a constantly rotating driving element having teeth, a driven toothed element coaxial with said driving element, an operating member, means for causing said member to move teeth of said driving element into engagement with teeth of said driven element and positively lock said elements in engagement, means for positively interrupting movement of said driven element and for causing said member to unlock said elements, the coaction between the teeth of the driving and driven elements being effective upon interruption of the movement of the driven element for causing positive disengagement of said elements.

ALBERT W. MILLS. 

